Former Thai police officer murdered in central Thailand

A mother discovered the body of her missing son, a retired Thai police officer, brutally murdered in a sugarcane field in the central province of Lopburi. The family suspected the murder was linked to a conflict with a drug gang.

The 70 year old woman, Prayoon Chiangkun, reported the death of her son, 51 year old Somsak Charoenrod, at Srabot Police Station at 9.30am yesterday, November 23. Prayoon said her son left home on the morning of November 21 and did not return.

Prayoon asked another son to help her search for Somsak and they soon discovered his body under a pickup parked in the sugarcane field.

When officers arrived, they found a grim scene. Somsak’s lifeless body lay under a grey Isuzu pickup. The vehicle had no number plate and the left passenger door was open.

Somsak had wounds to the left side of his face and signs of beatings on his back. His face was smeared with engine oil. There were scratches on his hands and arms as if he had been tied up. Officers believed Somsak had been murdered seven to eight hours before he was found.

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed. Based on the initial investigation, officers believed the murderer had physically assaulted Somsak and forced him to swallow some engine oil. His body was taken to Srabot Hospital for an autopsy.

Prayoon believed the killers were members of the drug gang her son had recently become involved with. Somsak’s aunt, 60 year old Ratree Kuraphan, agreed with Prayoon saying Somsak had a number of drug-addicted friends, and the conflict within the drug gang led to the murder.

Ratree reported that Somsak resigned from his position at Paniad Police Station in 2018 due to a congenital illness and problems at work. He started a business for a while before becoming addicted to drugs. He underwent rehabilitation in August but then returned to using drugs.